


snowfall on a lonely night

by ohmoka



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, M/M, Not Beta Read, Sad Kyan Reki, Spoilers, Tagged both relationship types bc it can be read as either, tho i think we all ship it so lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:55:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29909706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmoka/pseuds/ohmoka
Summary: He should have gone. Moping is totally uncool, pathetic really. Still, Reki can’t bring himself to move, much less care. It’s all too much, especially without Langa.Or, the one where Reki mopes over the distance between him and Langa.(Spoilers for ep9)
Relationships: Hasegawa Langa & Kyan Reki, Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki
Comments: 5
Kudos: 72





	snowfall on a lonely night

**Author's Note:**

> I binged all of SK8 yesterday and had to get my angst out somehow. Let's all hold each other and hope the boys talk soon.
> 
> ;-;

It’s Langa’s hand reaching out—and being unable to  _ reach back. _ It’s the stars reflected in those brilliant blue eyes, a galaxy away yet glittering with possibility. The way he’d been there one minute—and gone the next. His entrance into Reki’s life like a lightning strike: impossible to bottle and ushered out by rolling thunder. 

The way he’d outstripped Reki  _ without looking back.  _

Reki lets his phone drop from his hand. He can’t keep watching the videos, especially not when he knows exactly where Langa is right now—and exactly why he isn’t there with him. 

He should have gone. Moping is totally uncool, pathetic really. Still, Reki can’t bring himself to move, much less care. Apathy rolls over him, and his heart clenches, his blood cold and thoughts loud. It’s all too much, especially without Langa. 

The bastard. 

When did they become so close that his absence hurts this much? And how, despite their closeness, had Langa skated so far ahead? 

Reki slumps against his wall, sighing deeply. Beside him, his phone’s lit screen emits faint blue light. 

Langa is different.  _ Special. _ Reki is...a stepping stone: easily overcome, then forgotten. Langa’s imprint lingers, though. So no matter how alone Reki feels, he’s haunted by the Langa that looked at him and said:  _ “That was good, right, Reki?”  _

Sleep doesn’t come easy to Reki; he’s kept up wondering how ‘S’ is going. It’s Langa’s first time going without him, after all. It must be different; Reki must be missed. 

But… 

He’s probably not missed. He bets his absence hasn’t been noticed at all. He’s just a  _ slime, _ not a real player. Not a hero. Just a guy with a busted board and broken dreams. 

* * *

The next morning, he doesn’t skate past Langa the way he had the day before, but he can’t keep the bitterness out of his voice when he tells him he doesn’t want to hear about ‘S.’ Reki blames it on his lack of sleep—another weak excuse. He can see the confusion and hurt in Langa’s eyes, and he knows it’s his fault. 

Brushing the painful truth aside, Reki asks Langa to do that trick again. 

He does, flawlessly. With all the ease in the world, as though it’s nothing to him. No effort at all. 

It’s everything Reki can do to force a smile. 

Some friend he’s been. 

* * *

Later, when he tries alone, Reki can’t reach. 

One in three. One in five. 

It doesn’t matter. He comes up short every time. 

Langa is  _ unreachable.  _

* * *

The rain dampens Reki’s wilted mood further as he treks home, and, naturally, he runs into Langa. 

Hearing about the tournament is the match that starts the fire. Reki’s control slips. Moping is pathetic, but Langa has gone too far. He’s going to break their promise. 

So he yells at his friend, letting his feelings bubble up in his chest until the truth nearly spills out: the truth about how much he cares about Langa. The words hover on his tongue, threatening to pass his lips, but at the last minute, he manages to hold them in. 

Then Langa reaches out. His slender fingers wrapped desperately around Reki’s wrist burn, and Reki can’t jerk out of his grasp fast enough. The feeling lingers, though. 

“You understand as a skater, too, right?” Langa asks, hope glittering in his eyes. 

It’s that hope that hurts the most. When Langa reaches for the stars, he can touch them, and Reki, bruised and scraped raw, cannot, no matter how many times he tries. 

ADAM may call Langa his ‘Eve,’ but the older skater is no ‘Adam.’ He’s the snake that leaves Reki standing in ruin as Langa skates away, having tasted a heaven that Reki can’t offer him. 

It’s harder than Reki cares to admit to tell Langa the truth: 

_ “I’m scared.”  _

And, after the dam bursts, he can’t stop the rest of his bitter thoughts from spilling out. 

Langa doesn’t hide his hurt. So when Reki tells him that they’re not a good match anymore, he’s glad he can’t see Langa’s face. 

* * *

Cloaked in apathy, Reki ignores Langa’s calls and texts. 

And, again, he stays up too late watching those videos, wondering how and when the gap between them had become a chasm. 

* * *

Of course, Langa makes it through the qualifiers. It would be odd if he didn’t. 

Still, Reki’s heart doesn’t stir for Langa; it sinks. So he dismisses his friend, telling him his news has nothing to do with him. 

Langa’s reflection in the window makes Reki’s heart sink further. 

* * *

It’s JOE who gets past Reki’s defenses, his words seeping into the fissures in Reki’s heart. 

He doesn’t have to be alone; he’s chosen to be. But that could change.  _ He _ could change. He could be there for Langa and support him from the sidelines. Maybe. 

* * *

Dropping out his window, Reki heads to ‘S.’ 

He’s not ready to face Langa, but he wants—no, needs—to see his beef. He has to find out if he can be happy for Langa, even when he’s not beside him. 

Reki feels silly for avoiding Langa and hiding amongst the crowd, but what would he say to Langa if they bumped into each other? How would he explain? 

It’s better to slip into the shadows—easier. 

But not less painful. 

* * *

All of Reki’s angst and apathy gets thrown out the window the second he hears people trash-talking Langa. It’s unthinkable how wrong they are. Not a rival? 

“Hey!” he shouts, head pounding and blood hot. “What do you know about him? His air is so high and beautiful. It’s just like…” His words catch in his throat, but he pushes them out anyway, bearing their pain. “A snow flurry.” 

For as much as Reki mourns his pride, he’s still in awe of Langa’s talent. No matter how much it hurts to be left behind, he can’t deny he admires Langa and wants to see him continue to rise and meet the stars. 

Hope flutters in Reki’s heart as he watches Langa on-screen. He’s fast in the straightaways; he’s got a chance. 

Until JOE does  _ that _ move and pulls away, leaving Langa in his dust. 

JOE blasts past Reki. 

Langa is nowhere to be seen. 

Then, he skates into view. Reki can’t believe his eyes. Langa stands on his board, coasting and falling further behind.  _ He’s given up.  _

Frustration wells in Reki. Even if JOE wins, it shouldn’t be like this—with Langa forgoing his chance completely. 

The crowd dotted around the path jeers at Langa, and Reki watches, mind racing but too dumbfounded to speak. 

Langa is so much better—so much more amazing—than this. Reki can’t stand to watch him give up so easily. 

He takes one step forward, then another. 

_ “Langa!”  _

Their eyes meet. 

For a fleeting moment, time stands still, though Reki’s heart doesn’t stop its relentless beating. 

Then, Langa skates out of sight. 

Reki can’t name the feeling that blossoms in his chest. It’s sweet but sharp, cutting down to the bone. It’s hollow, too. 

He feels as though his heart is soaring in a dream. The sensation isn’t real. It’s just a cruel trick. Wishful thinking. 

Reki doesn’t have long to dwell over it. The feeling is replaced by fear when Langa enters the warehouse, hot on JOE’s heels. Langa is out of his mind. Crazed. Deluded. There’s no way he can skate past the beam the same way JOE had. 

Somehow, he does. 

Still, the beam is swinging back. Reki can’t breathe. Langa won’t be able to walk this injury off. 

Except he dodges it. Of course he does. He’s Langa. 

And just like that, the beef is over. 

_ Langa wins.  _

And Reki...feels nothing. He’s supposed to be happy for his friend, but… 

He isn’t. 

A cold chill creeps over Reki. What is he doing here? He has no place at ‘S.’ He doesn’t belong here; he shouldn’t have come. 

Tears spill down his cheeks, and he finally understands. He’d been frustrated. That’s why he came. 

Cheering for Langa isn’t enough. He wants to skate beside his friend. And if he can’t have that, he doesn’t want to be at ‘S’ at all. 

So he leaves, pinless. He won’t be back. 

Not until he can skate beside Langa. 

And when he can, they’ll reach for the stars together, side by side—board by board. 

**Author's Note:**

> If I write SK8 again, it will probably be matcha blossom stuff, but who knows! I do love renga :')
> 
> BNHA pals, I'll be posting togatsuchako on Tuesday!! :3
> 
> As usual, find me here!!  
> Twitter: [ohmokawrites](https://twitter.com/ohmokawrites)  
> Tumblr: [ohmoka](https://ohmoka.tumblr.com/)


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